At Miya's Sushi: New Dishes With A Twist

A LA CARTE

The Roll of Milk and Honey at Miya's Sushi in New Haven is comprised… (Bettina Hansen, Hartford…)

October 21, 2010|By LEEANNE GRIFFIN, Special to the Courant

Anyone who has ever dined at Miya's Sushi in New Haven knows about The Menu. With page after page of giggle-inducing whimsical descriptions, cultural insight and emotional childhood nostalgia, it's nearly impossible to read in one sitting.

When chef /co-owner Bun Lai heard that a recent patron admitted wanting to steal the menu from the table, he laughed, delighted.

"That's so sweet," he said. "It means a lot, because we worked so hard on it."

Miya's is known for its distinctive sushi flair, with selections like "Romping with the Goats" (a roll with tempura-fried tilapia, papaya, goat cheese and African spices) and "The Greatest Sushi South of the Mason-Dixon Line" (blending catfish, okra and cheddar grits).

Miya's newest menu items are inspired by more than just ingredients. Several new sushi rolls get their names from poetry, literature, religion and cultural philosophy. One takes the name of a Japanese aesthetic ideal. Another, the Oaxacan Dragon, pays homage to Miya's Mexican chefs with a "mole" made from crushed Oreos, chocolate, fruit, pumpkin seeds and ancho chiles.

"All the cuisine is autobiographical for me," Lai said. "I don't want to do artwork that's disconnected and entirely just conceptual. I want it to mean something, but I want it to hold emotional weight."

Even the cocktails are artistically influenced. A new beverage, "Secret on the Vine," blends a dozen spices, herbs and sunflower honey-sweetened cabernet sake, and was inspired by a song written by a Miya's waiter.

"It was one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard in my life," Lai said. "I wanted to capture the meaning and feeling of the song by the ingredients of what we've created." The drink is served in a chalice designed by another friend, a sculptor.

Social responsibility colors most of Lai's work. Concerned about nutrition, he uses a multigrain blend of quinoa, amaranth and flaxseed to replace the traditional white sushi rice made with sugar and vinegar. And the "Sushi for the Masses" section of the menu, with plenty of rolls priced at $3.50 and less, disparages the notion that sushi is prohibitively expensive.

"In a country and a world where we have 99-cent burgers, I wanted to set an example and say, 'You know what? We can create rolls for $2.50 and they're going to be incredibly great for you,'" Lai said. "You can order a sweet potato roll for $2.50 and you're going to get omega-3s with it, as well as protein."

A similar passion for ecological activism has led to national honors: Lai was chosen as one of Monterey Bay Aquarium's ambassadors for sustainable seafood.

"It's a combination of me being really interested in nature, always. Both my parents are tremendous lovers of nature and are big gardeners. It's also combined with the idea of doing the right thing, finding alternative, better ways of eating," he said.

Lai's Japanese mother, Yoshiko, a nutritionist and former caterer, opened Miya's in 1982. It was New Haven's first sushi restaurant. His father, a Chinese surgeon, often traveled to Kenya to perform eye surgeries for people in need.

""The idea was that in anything that you do, make sure you impact other people and the rest of the world in a way that makes it beautiful, and better," Lai said of his childhood, calling his parents "fantastic" role models. "You didn't do anything just for yourself. It was your duty to help others."

A newer element to Miya's menu introduces cuisine made with invasive species, plants or other organisms that threaten the ecological balance or require pesticides for eradication. This includes European green crabs, red algae, Japanese knotweed, Asian carp and tomato hornworms. Lai is experimenting with insects, which, he says, are a more efficient and higher-quality source of protein than meat.

"I don't want it to become like [Travel Channel's 'Bizarre Foods' host] Andrew Zimmern, or 'Fear Factor,' " Lai said. "…It's my responsibility as a chef to translate and reinterpret exotic ingredients to be enjoyable to people of our culture."

Lai is actually about to make his own national TV debut, appearing on the next season of Food Network's "Chopped." And he's working on a book about the restaurant.